Abstract

Background

New data sources and analysis methods are urgently needed to improve opioid surveillance and prevent potential overdose. Social media data is one potential data source that might be used and integrated to address this issue. Objective: This study explored opioid-related topics discussed across geographical regions of varying population sizes to determine whether social media data might inform opioid surveillance. Methods: Between March 17th to July 17th, 2020, we collected tweets (N = 19,721) mentioning opioid-related keywords across seven cities within the United States. Results: Results found that opioid-related keywords were distributed as follows: New York (29%), Los Angeles (23%), Chicago (18%), Atlanta (18%), San Francisco (8%), Iowa (3%), and Orange County, CA (1%). We also found regional differences in the types of opioids and topics mentioned. Conclusions: Findings suggest the feasibility of using opioid-related social media data to inform surveillance efforts, as well as potential regional and time-varying differences in topics discussed.

中文翻译：

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社交媒体上阿片类药物讨论的地区差异

摘要

背景

迫切需要新的数据来源和分析方法来改进阿片类药物监测并防止潜在的过量服用。社交媒体数据是一个潜在的数据源，可以用来解决这个问题。目的：本研究探讨了在不同人口规模的地理区域中讨论的与阿片类药物相关的话题，以确定社交媒体数据是否可以为阿片类药物监测提供信息。方法： 2020 年 3 月 17 日至 7 月 17 日期间，我们收集了 美国七个城市中提及阿片类药物相关关键词的推文（N = 19,721）。结果：结果发现阿片类药物相关关键词分布如下：纽约（29%）、洛杉矶（23%）、芝加哥（18%）、亚特兰大（18%）、旧金山（8%）、爱荷华（3%）和加利福尼亚州奥兰治县 (1%)。我们还发现阿片类药物的类型和提及的主题存在区域差异。结论：研究结果表明使用与阿片类药物相关的社交媒体数据为监测工作提供信息的可行性，以及所讨论主题的潜在区域和时变差异。